Personality matters: Exploring the associations of personality traits with mood and somatic symptoms in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND

Research suggest that personality traits influence the mood and somatic symptoms in various different clinical populations. Neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness have been identified as potential predictors of mood and somatic symptoms. However, the literature on personality traits and symptom outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited, highlighting the necessity for more in-depth research.

OBJECTIVE

This Cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between personality traits and symptomatology in individuals with MS using two separate studies and different personality assessment tools- the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI).

METHODS

Participants completed surveys assessing mood and somatic symptoms. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between personality traits and MS symptoms controlling for demographic variables.

RESULTS

.The analyses were performed on data from 63 individuals with MS for Study 1 (assessing the NEO-FFI) and 1183 individuals with MS for Study 2 (assessing the TIPI), respectively. Neuroticism was consistently associated with more somatic and mood symptoms in both sample (medium to large effect sizes; β = -0.05 to β = 0.60) Extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with fewer symptoms in Study 2.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of considering personality factors in understanding and managing symptoms in MS. However, further research is needed to understand the causal relationships between personality and symptom outcomes in MS.